


How It Came To Be

by SlantedKnitting



Series: merlin memory month 2019 [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M, Modern Era, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-16 06:48:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18686290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlantedKnitting/pseuds/SlantedKnitting
Summary: Merlin thinks back on how he came to be with Arthur. And how they both came to be with Gwaine.





	How It Came To Be

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [Merlin Memory Month](https://merlinmemorymonth.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr.
> 
> Day 1, Path 1: Contrasts and/or Similarities

Merlin had known from the beginning that he would end up with Arthur. The spark was immediate, even despite—or perhaps because of—the bickering. Arthur had a highly evolved sense of self, and Merlin never missed the opportunity to knock him down a few pegs. It turned out that Arthur was just as capable of dishing it out as Merlin was, so the bickering was about as frequent as the sex, which was to say—almost non-stop.

Underneath the bickering, and between all the sex, it didn't take long for something stronger to take hold and start growing between them. Merlin secretly liked Arthur's self assurance, and he knew Arthur liked his tendency to be difficult. Merlin appreciated the way Arthur was actually very loyal and would always stand up for him, even if it was more out of a possessive need to be the only one who could take the piss rather than out of a sense of protectiveness. Or maybe it was both, deep down. Merlin didn't care either way, he just liked to see Arthur get all worked up over him.

It was always easy to turn that energy to something more productive than barking at anyone who glanced at Merlin the wrong way. Something that felt good for both of them. Arthur would keep his possessive tendencies and devour Merlin over and over again until Merlin was a complete wreck. And then Merlin would return the favour, a little more gently, a little less desperately. He would go slow, calming things down until Arthur was just sighing and trembling and giving himself over to the pleasure.

And afterwards they would wrap themselves in each other, blocking out the world and all the things that threatened to come between them. They would talk about the future, about buying a house and getting a dog, about growing old and grumpy together, about living forever at each other's sides.

In the end, it was all very predictable. Arthur was fierce on the outside, soft on the inside, and Merlin was the opposite, and they made it work.

Gwaine was more of a surprise. He'd come out of nowhere, and Arthur hadn't batted an eye when he'd flirted with Merlin. Merlin thought that maybe it was a sign Arthur was finally letting go of his jealousy, but it was more like Gwaine had been given a pass. Perhaps Arthur liked seeing Merlin so flustered, so flattered, so flummoxed by the attention. Perhaps Arthur had seen from the very beginning that there was great potential there.

Merlin had been a little slower to see it. He liked Gwaine a lot, but he'd always been loyal to Arthur, and the thought hadn't really crossed his mind until Arthur decided to introduce a little dirty talk into their sexual routine. He'd gone on and on about Gwaine—his hair, his pecs, his arse, all the muscles in between and more—and Merlin had gotten lost in the words and the fantasy.

Gwaine hadn't even batted an eye when Merlin and Arthur had approached him, and they fell into bed faster than was probably dignified. But it had been more than just sex, even before the first kiss. There was trust and respect and desire and affection. There was something real, something that showed itself in the precious moments after all the sex when Gwaine had curled up between Merlin and Arthur and the three of them fell asleep, tangled together in a contented heap.

Merlin fell in love with the set up very quickly. Arthur was his soul mate, and Gwaine was his best friend, and he got to have them both, and they got to have each other, and they both got to have him. He couldn't have asked for more, except when Arthur invited Gwaine to move in with them. Gwaine slotted nicely into their life, and he brought the dog.

It was perfect. Merlin cherished the steadiness of Arthur, the spontaneity of Gwaine, and the love that was so clear between them all. He had known from the beginning that he would end up with Arthur, and Gwaine was more of a surprise, and Merlin loved having it both ways.


End file.
